ARTICLES ABOUT BANGOR AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT BY DATE - PAGE 3

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Dobish, Sr. of Northampton are proud to announce the engagement of their daughter, Adriane to Matthew Strohl, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Strohl of Coplay. Adriane is a 1998 graduate of Northampton High School and a 2002 graduate of Kutztown University. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree at East Stroudsburg and is employed at Bangor Area School District. Matthew is a 1998 graduate of Whitehall High School and is employed at PPL. Their wedding is being planned for March of 2007.

Joan B. DeFranco, 69, of Bangor, died June 5, 2005, at home in the comfort of her family. Born June 1, 1936, in Lewisburg, she was a daughter of the late Eleanor Aurand. Her husband, Dr. Domenick DeFranco, died in 1977. She was of the Lutheran Faith. She was employed by Colonial Intermediate No. 20 and the Bangor Area School District before retiring. She was a graduate of East Stroudsburg University, class of 1972. Survivors: Daughters, Dr. Mary Ellen and Suzy DeFranco, both of Bangor, Dr. Penny DeFranco of Verona, New Jersey; grandchildren, Joan Fahrenkrug, Jeffrey D. Paulson.

Bangor Area School District and Slatington Elementary School have been awarded grants of $10,000 to help fight childhood obesity. Highmark Blue Shield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is presenting the grants for the 2005-06 school year as part of the association's "Challenge for Healthier Schools" program. Bangor area schools will use the grant to create a fitness area on an existing cross country trail behind school buildings on the district campus.

Nedra Moysey, 89, of Walden III, Wind Gap, formerly of Bangor, died Monday, April 11, 2005 in Phoebe-Slate Belt Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Washington Township. Born in Bangor on May 3, 1915, she was the daughter of the late Albert and Helen (Teel) Shoemaker. Before retiring in 1982, she was an executive secretary for the Bangor Area School District for 20 years. Prior to that, she worked for the Armed Service Government Corp. in Texas. She was a member of Mackey Memorial Baptist Church, Bangor, where she was a member and served as secretary of the Horace C. Wright Sunday school class, secretary of the Sunday school and served on the pastoral committee.

By Fred Walter Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | March 2, 2005

After nearly 45 years as a school director, Albert Ronca hopes to serve another four years on the Bangor Area School Board. The 87-year-old lifelong Roseto resident and Democrat announced his bid on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in the May primary. There are four at-large seats to be elected this year, including the three held by board President Joseph Boyle and Barbara Shoemaker, both of Upper Mount Bethel Township, and Kevin Pruett of Lower Mount Bethel Township. "I wouldn't feel right not being on the board," Ronca said.

Marion S. Williams, 89, of Allentown, formerly of Bangor, died Thursday, November 4, 2004 in Luther Crest Retirement Community, South Whitehall Township. Born January 16, 1915 in Stroudsburg, she was a daughter of the late Robert J. and Mae (Welter) Sayre. Her husband, Dr. Trever R. Williams Jr., died in 1997. She was a fourth grade teacher for the Bangor Area School District in Upper Mount Bethel Township, for 18 years. She was a graduate of Stroudsburg High School and a graduate of East Stroudsburg University with honors.

By Fred Walter Special to the Morning Call - Freelance | October 26, 2004

Spillman Farmer Architects of Bethlehem will begin designing the expansion and renovation of the 70-year-old Washington Township Elementary School for Bangor Area School District. The firm was the unanimous choice of the school board Monday night to plan the project, expected to cost about $14 million. The architect fee will be 5.75 percent of the construction costs. The project will expand the old school to house 750 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The present capacity is 250 students.

The Bangor Area High School Alumni Association honored educators and school district graduates at a banquet Oct. 3 in the Blue Valley Farm Show, Washington Township. Five men and one woman were inducted into the association's Athletic Hall of Fame. An additional six people were named to the association's 1885 Club, a roster of educators who have served the district or are district graduates who have distinguished themselves through public service, scholarship and recognition in their chosen fields of work.

For the second week in a row, problems with the district's bus system drove the Bangor Area School Board's agenda. Between roads closed by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan and bus routes altered earlier in the year, parents at Monday night's school board meeting complained their children were arriving at school up to 30 minutes late. Angela Battaglia, who has a daughter in kindergarten, said the girl's first day of school started with a 45-minute wait for the bus. "It had me questioning whether I was at the right bus stop," she said, adding that was the longest she had to wait.

Jay S. Young, 81, of Pen Argyl, died Saturday, Aug. 28, 2004 in his residence. Born in Pen Argyl on July 29, 1923, he was a son of the late Audrey and Dorothy (Keat) Young. For 32 years, he was an industrial arts teacher for the Bangor Area School District retiring in 1985. Prior to that, he taught in Freehold, N.J. He was a 1941 graduate of Pen Argyl High School. He received his bachelors degree from Millersville University and his masters degree from Rutgers University. He was a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He served in the European Theater in England and was a Prisoner of War in Holland.